Plastic insulation like Styrofoam is commonplace in seafood packaging and buildings.
But plastics never completely disappear, instead they break up into ever smaller particles
or microplastic. These tiny particles are harmful to the soils, marine environment
and wildlife, and may affect human health.
Researchers with the Biomaterials Lab seek to better understand the effects of these
stray plastic bits. The team is working to solve the global plastic pollution problem
by developing insulation that is recyclable, reusable, and biodegradable. Researchers
combine design-thinking, microbiology, and physics to dream-up scalable biological
materials that store carbon and provide a sustainable vital barrier from the elements.
Their key ingredients to de-carbonizing industries include beetle-kill spruce trees
and renewable cellulose that is literally grown in a lab. The Biomaterials Lab is an active innovation platform for new bio-based
materials and circular bio-economy solutions in the Circumpolar North. The lab uses
norm-critical design thinking as a framework to tackle some of the most pressing environmental
and public health problems facing the Arctic today.
Nicole Blue has been part of the Seawolf Women’s Volleyball team since 2020. She’s a champion both on and off the court! The senior is pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences with a focus in Speech Language Pathology. Blue shares some highlights from her time at UAA.
Nicole Blue is pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences with a focus in Speech Language Pathology. She's also a senior player on the UAA women's volleyball team! Blue shared her experiences in the programs.
Hannah’s two degrees from UAA’s Division of Population Health Sciences have been invaluable to her as a program coordinator at Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium.
UAA has been ranked one of the nation’s best schools for online health care degrees and certificates for 2023. Six percent of regionally accredited colleges and universities earned a ranking position.
University of Alaska Anchorage and Division of Population Health Sciences (DPHS) alumna Jordan Kamer (BS, Health Sciences, ‘17) has a pretty important job. As a public health educator with the Municipality of Anchorage Health Department, she is responsible for providing community education and guidance on public health—everything from COVID-19, to naloxone, to age-appropriate sex education.